Bucktown Arts Fest: Music Schedule, Vendors, Dog Parade

CHICAGO — More than 160 artists will be coming to Bucktown this weekend for one of the city's most popular arts festivals. For 33 years, the Bucktown Arts Fest has brought the community together to celebrate local talent. The event is a non-profit, all-volunteer run festival, and all of its proceeds go to funding, developing and supporting arts education.

Each year, the festival's jury selects artists to be invited to the event. No "mass producers" are chosen, organizers said.

The festival will be held Saturday, Aug. 25 and Sunday, Aug. 26 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 2200 N. Oakley Avenue (see map below).

The event will feature two stages of music, a kids tent, amphitheater performances, a scavenger hunt and of course the popular "Barktown" Dog Parade on National Dog Day (Sunday).

The dog parade will kick off at 11:30 a.m., rain or shine, at Senior Citizens Memorial Playlot Park, 2228 North Oakley Avenue. Tickets are $10 per dog, and the fee is waived for foster/adoptable dogs from local rescues (email billthepeanut@gmail.com if you have a foster dog you want to bring to the parade). This year's parade will offer prizes and a costume contest. All dogs will receive a bandana or Frisbee.

All proceeds from the festival's beer and wine sales benefit arts programs at local schools and music classes at Holstein Park.

Music schedule - Main Stage:

Saturday, Aug. 25:

• 1 p.m. – Bill MacKay
• 2:15 p.m. – To be announced
• 3:30 p.m. – The Flying Nowakowski Brothers
• 4:45 p.m. – Lay Chickie
• 6 p.m. – The Menards

Sunday, Aug. 26:

• 1 p.m. – The Arts of Life Band
• 2:15 p.m. – The Frizz
• 3:30 p.m – Jamie Wagner Band
• 4:45 p.m – Peter Joly Group
• 6 p.m – Rich Krueger Band

Music schedule - New Jazz Roots Stage:

Saturday, Aug. 25:

• 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Jazz Institute of Chicago’s Jazz Ambassadors
• 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. – Whitney Young Jazz Ensemble
• 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Mai Sugimoto Trio
• 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. – Kirch Van Lux
• 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. – Winchester Sound

Sunday, Aug. 26:

• 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Open Doors
• 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. ­– Lane Tech Jazz Combo
• 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Jolie
• 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. – Guerilla Dix and Tubaerobics
• 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. – Chicago Jamaican Jazz Ensemble

*Click here for jazz group bios, and here for a complete list of artists.

Top image/video via YouTube